Overrunning preventer for winding machines



May 4 ,-192s.'

H. E. BRYANT 'OYERRUNNING PREVENTER FOR WINDING MACHINES Filed Sept. 16, 1925 Patented May 4, 1926.

HENRY E. BRYANT, or rnovrnnrton, RHODE IsLANn; AssrGNoR? To wartime wovrn FABRIC COMPANY, or raw'mncxrr, ni-ronn- ISLAND, A coupon-Arron or Err-01in ISLAND.

" QVERRUNNING PREVEN'IER non WINDING MACHINES,

Application filed- SeptembTJG, 1925. Serial No. 56,703.

To all whom it'may concern: I

Be it knownthatI, HENRY E. BRYANT, a citizen of the, United States, residing at Providence, inthe county of Providence and 6 State of Rhode Island,- have invented new and useful Improvements in Ove'rru'nning Preventers for \Vinding Machines, of which the following is aspecificat'ion.

The present invention relates to machines 10 for winding filamentous or strip material by the action of'a rotating winding head carrying a supply of such material on an independently rotatablespool or the like. object is'to'prevent'continued rotation of the spool after the winding'head has been abruptly sto'ppedor quickly retarded For instance, assuming that the; winding head is normally rotated at high speed, and that the machine is equipped with a brake or other 29 stop motion device, for quickly arresting the motion of the head when some untoward accident occurs, such as, breaking of the stock being wound orits failure to be fed proper- 1y tothe winding point, then-it is desirable to stop. the rotation of the stock holding spool or reelalso as soon as possible in order to prevent unwinding and snarling of the stock supply, or'other danger liable to result from continued free rotation of thesupply spool. i r

I have accomplished this-object by providing in connecti on with the windi-ng'head and supply spool, in amachine of the character above indicated, an automatic stop or clutch device which is inoperative so long as the winding hcad'continues to operate in its norn'ia l manner, and becomes operative instant- 1y to arrest the spool when the winding head is itself arrested. The embodiment of the invention herein illustrated has been designed for use with a machine for winding strip material into tubular form, and par- 7 ticularly for making flexible metallic conduit" or armor for electrical-conductors ;,such a machine being disclosed in my pending ap plication filedFebruar'y 17, 1925 Serial No.

9,782.. The drawings provided withthis specification illustrate so much of the said machineas issuflicient for explanation of the principles of-the invention and'the construction of the specific embodiment herein referred to. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited touse with that specific machine, but is applicable also" in said end wall.

to other machines which include a rotating winding head, an independentlyv rotatable spool or equivalent stock holder, and means for stopping the winding head.

In the drawings: j Figure. 1- is a side elevation, with parts broken away and shown in section, of the winding machine adapted to wind armor up on cable and having one'embodimentof the present invention applied-thereto;

2is an end elevation of the machine showing on an enlarged scale a-tragment-ofthe winding-head and a fragment of the stock holding spool, together with anauto matic stop mechanism for arresting; the

ventiontor arresting the supply sp'ooliat-the windingheadand means embodying the insame time r v Fig. 3 is a fragmentaryview; illustrating the manner in which th'est-oppln-g n ec'ha-j nism acts to arrest the winding headjand' the spool Fig. 4t is a fragmentary sectionalview ilabove mentioned mechanism.

'lustrating one means for making aflexible connection'be'tween the stop motion tripand the spool'arrester which form'p'arts of the Like reference characters represent the same parts wherever they occur mall the figures. I p

The part of the machine which I have called the ,winding head is that designated by the numeral 21 in'the drawings. It is secured onone endot' a shaft 22 whichrotates in bearings 23 and 24- on abase or frame 25; Such head may bedrivfen'by anysuitable means; such as amotor 26mounted; on the frame 25 andhaving ashaft which is coupled-with the shaft 22 by aj belt-Jor v chain- 27 andcomplementa'lpulleys; or.

sprocket wheels;

The winding head'is cylindrical in tor-m,

having anend wall 29 andan outer side wall30. It also has aninterior' cylindrical bearing surface 31, the said outerwall-- andbearing being coaxial with the shaft" 22. Inthe annular space between the bearing 31' and'the wall 30 is a spool-holding the stock:

82 and having a hub 38 surrounding and rotatable upon thebearingsurtace 31 and a flange or'base 34 hearing. against the end wall 29 or against roller bearingsmounted The stock is 1 drawn from the spooland carried' around aguide roll 35, mounted on the head, and led thence to the winding point. The head is also equipped with stock feeding, forming andcarried by the head and is independently rotatable relatively thereto about the same axis.

The stock shown illustratively herein is a metallic strip or ribbon wound in the form of a coil and mounted on the spool, surrounding the hub 33 thereof and bearing against the face or flange 34. Such showing, however, is illustrative and typical rather than exclusive. The term spool which I have used herein is a generic term intended to include any device similar or equivalent to the so-called spool herein illustrated and adapted to hold a supply of stock in coil form.

When the winding head is rotated to form the stock into the article of manufacture which is the final product of the machine, the spool is rotated also in the same absolute direction, meaning by absolute direction the direction with respect to the stationary parts of the machine and other objects, but at .a different speed, the speed differential being due to the delivery of stock from the spool to supply the demands of the manufactured article or goods. Thus the spool rotates relatively to the winding head and the direction of such relative rotation may be the same as, or opposite to, the direction in which the stock is wound to form the coil carried by the spool. The rotation of the head is much more rapid than the relative rotation of the spool, hence when the head is suddenly stopped the spool tends to continue on in the direction of its absolute rotation whether the relative rotation is in the same, or the opposite direction. Such con tinued rotation or overrunning of the spool is liable to have more or less objectionable and serious results, well understood by those acquainted with the art. The object and accomplishment of the invention is to prevent such overrunning; and the embodiment of the invention disclosed in this specification is adapted to prevent such overrunning in either direction, that is whether the relative rotation of the spool is in the same direction or opposite to the rotation of the head.

I will now briefly describe the stop motion mechanism, in connection with which I have applied the present illustrative embodiment of the invention, such stop motion mechanism being substantially the same as the one disclosed in my prior application herein identified.

The guide roll 35 previously mentioned controls a brake for stopping the winding head in case either the stock should break or fail to pass freely enough to the winding point. Said roll is mounted upon an arm 36 connected to a rock shaft 37, and engaged by a pin and slot connection 38 with an arm 39 on a rock shaft 40. These shafts and the arm 39 are acted upon by springs tending to throw the parts just described from the normal position, which is that shown in Figure 2, to the position shown in Figure 3, and also resisting movement of the guide roll under the pull of the stock toward the axis of the head. A double cam 41 is mounted on the shaft 37 and bears on an arm 42. Said arm 4.2 is connected to a rock shaft 43, mounted in a bearing secured to the outer wall of the winding head, and to the rock shaft-is secured a second arm 44 having a finger 45, which I call a trip finger, extending through a hole in said outer wall. A spring 46 normally retracts the finger and holds arm 42 against the cam 41.

Beside the outer surface ofthe wall 30 there is arranged a brake member 47 having a friction face complemental to the wall 30 and arranged to slide in a stationary guideway, which guideway is so arranged that the brake member may be moved clear of the head or brought into frictional engagement with it. A spring 48 tends to move'the brake into contact with the head, but such movement is normally prevented by a latch 49 interlocked with a projection 50 on the brake, and having a trigger arm 51 which extends near to the circumference of the head and in the same zone with the path in which the trip finger 45 travels. Normally the trip finger passes clear of the trigger arm, but when the arm 36 is thrown outward, as shown in Figure 3, in consequence of breakage of the stock, or if it is drawn inward by excessive tension of the stock, the trip finger is projected, by turning movement of the double cam 41 in one direction or the other far enough to engage the trigger 51 and release the latch, thereby permitting the brake to be set.

There is connected to the arm 42, in a flexible manner, a hook or pawl 52, or equivalent clutch member, which is located beside the arm 42 allows the pawl to rest against ass-am moved, and causes it to enter the next'notch which comes in registry with it in therelatlve rotation of the spool thereafter occur- 7 ring r A suitable means for connecting the arm 42 and pawl 52 together in a yielding and elastic manner is shown in the drawings, and 10 more particularly in detail in" Figure 4; A coupling pin 5a is passed loosely through registering holes in the overlapping ends of the arm and pawl, such pin having greater length than the combined thickness "of these overlapping ends and, having heads on its ends. 'A spring 55 is confined between one of said heads and the adjacent one of the overlappingmembers, in this case the arm 42'. In order toprevent' rotation of the pawl about the coupling pin, a second pin 56 is set into the arm 42 and projects through a slot or notch in the adjacent part of the pawl. This second pin or steady pin asjit may be called, while it prevents the pawl from turning on the arm 42 out of the plane of the spool flange, does not interfere with the free movement of the pawl in such plane, permitted and causedby the loose and" resilient mountingof the connecting pin 54, within the small range of movement necessary for making engagement with the spool in the manner above pointed out. a

It will be seen that the member 52 thus named as apawl is in effect a clutch adapted k andoperative to couple. the spool to the head by engagement with one or another of the notches 53 in the manner to prevent posi tively any relative rotation of the spool in either direction; It is within my contemplation and the scope of the protectionwhich I claim, however, to make the clutch positive in one dire'ctiononly, and'otherwise to vary the form of theclutChlpawl and of the complemental' notches and teeth, or abutments, in the spool, in any manner desired.

Of course the clutch is made positive in one way only, it will be then constructed and arranged to oppose movement of the spool in the direction in which its absolute rotation takes place.

It will be appreciated that the clutch here shown is operatfeddirectly by the same means which controls the stop motion mechanism; and that it may become efiective to couple the spool to the winding head even before the stop motion mechanism has :acted to arrest the head, and will do so if one of the notches in thespool happens-to lie beside the pawl attheinstantwhen the stop controller acts; while in other conditions it will do so more or less quickly depending on the closeness of the spacing of the notches. Thus, when the stop'motion' mechanism ls'put Into actlon, the spool is brought to rest simultaneously with the winding.

cations filed concurrently herewith.

lleadand theilatitude'lett for overrunn ing'" of the spool is limited to the distance be-R tween twoof the notches 53, which distance may be'so short asto make the overrunnin g" of the spool altogethernegligible. The brake maybe set also when itis desired to stop the machine for any reason at any time, even though no accident has occurred such as would cause its automatic stoppage. Such voluntary stoppage may spool, the displacement of the guide by thepull ofthe'stoc'k couples the clutch, or ifth-e spool runs with tendency to unwind the stock from it, the slackening of the stock a llows; the spring to operate and throw the guide: outward, also setting the clutch.

'This' over'unning' preventer therefore" auto-y m'atically prevents the momentum" of the spool from either stretching and'breaking tli'e' stock, orfrom unwinding and allowing the stock to snarl when ,themachine is intenti'onally stopped; It makes no difference whether the coil of material on the spool-is wound so' as to cause relativ'emovement of the spool in the same direction as its abso lute rotation, or in the, opposite direction; in either case'the clutch-is setand overrun-- ningflofthe spool prevented, automatically, in" consequence of m'a-nu'al stoppage of the machine. T c a In addition to the clutch means; herein described;the machinemay be' equippedwith fricti'o'naltraction means, such for mstance as that shown inmy prior applica-=' tion Serial No. 9782,"for causing rotation-'' of the spool" with the hea'dwhenthe machine is started up and for maintaining sufficient" tension in the stock while the machine continues in normal operation. a

It is to be understood that theinven tion is'not'li-mited to the combination of the overrunning, prevention'means with a stop motion mechanism of the "particularkind and construction herein shown, and that said mechanism'i's simply illustrative of an" operative stop motion device with which the inventionma-y be used, and typifies any such device,- Whether of the same character or of specific-ally difierent character with which the inventionmay be used; I

The overrunning prevention" device here shown is one of'several devices for the same purpose which I have invented, others of such devices being disclosed-in patent appli- One Off its-distinguishing characteristics with reference to the embodiments of the same generic invention disclosed in said other applications is that is primarily controlled and made operative by the stop motion controller, which in turn is directly controlled by the stock being operated on, whereas in said other embodiments the arrest of the spool is effected by a slackening of the speed of the winding head to such an extent that the relative motion of the spool is reversed. Another distinguishing characteristic is that it is, or may be, positive in both directions. So far as the device shown in this and the above mentioned concurrently filed applications embody a common invention, such invention is claimed generically herein, together with claims for the species here shown.

Having thus described the principles and one specific embodiment of the invention, although without attempting to describe all possible forms of the invention or all of its modes of use, I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a winding machine a rotatable winding head, a rotatably mounted spool carrying the material to be wound, a guide for leading said material from the spool to the winding point, said guide being supported by the head and movable in opposite directions from a normal position when the machine is in operation, a stop mechanism adapted to arrest said head, a normally inoperative clutch for coupling the spool to the head, and means operated by abnormal movement of the guide in either direction from its normal position for setting said clutch to thus couple the head and spool together.

2. In a Winding machine a rotatable winding head, a rotatable supply spool coaxial with said head, a guide for the material being wound.- in its course from the spool to the winding head, said guide being movably .mounted on the head, aspring arranged to exert force on said guide in opposition to the force applied thereto by the tension of said material, and means operated by the guide following movement of the latter under the unopposed force of said spring for coupling the spool to the head. I

8. In a winding machine a rotatable winding head, a rotatably mounted spool carrying the material to be wound, a guide for material to be wound arranged to deflect such material in its course from the spool to the winding point, said guide being mounted with ability to move in the direction of the pull imposed by said material and in the opposite direction as well, a spring arranged to exert force on said guide in opposition to the pull of said material, the guide being movable under the unopposed force of the spring away from its position of equilibrium when acted on at the same time by the spring and the material, and a clutch for preventing overrunning of the spool operable for that purpose by the guide when the latter is moved under the unopposed force of the spring.

4. In a winding machine a rotatable winding head, a spool mounted on said head with provision for independent rotation, a positive clutch means adapted to lock said head and spool together in a positive manner and prevent any relative movement between them, means normally holding said clutching material being wound for stopping the head and at the same time putting said clutching meansinto locking condition.

6. A machine for winding material comprising a rotatable winding head, a supply spool for the material being wound, said spool mounted on the head and being rotatable relatively thereto, a normally inoperative stop mechanism for arresting the head, a trip device in place thereof, mechanical means normally restrained by the material being wound for putting said stop mechanism into operation independently of centrifugal force, when the restraint of the material is relaxed, and a clutch connected with said trip device for coupling the spool to the head at the same time.

7. In a winding machine a rotatable winding head, an independently rotatable supply spool, a normally inoperative means for stopping the rotation of said head, a trip member carried by the head for causing operation of said stopping means under control of the material being wound, and a positive clutch member carried by said trip member for coupling the spool and head together when said trip member eflects operation of the stopping means;

8. In a winding machinea rotatable winding head, a spool rotatable relatively to the head and having clutch abutments, a stop motion trip member mounted on the head, and a positive clutch member carried by said trip member and having a portion movable into engagement with one of said abutments.

9. In a winding machine a rotatable winding means, an independently rotatable spool for holding the material to be wound, a guide around which said strip material is caused to pass on its Way to the Winding point, a pivoted arm by which said guide is carried, a spring tending-to move said arm oppositely to the direction of force application thereon by the material, a cam connected to said arm and movable thereby, and an overrunning preventer for said spool operable by said cam to arrest the spool.

10. In a Winding machine, rotatable Winding means, a supply spool rotatable with and independently of said Winding means, a normally inoperative clutch adapted to be connected with said spool to prevent such independent rotation thereof, a rock shaft, a cam mounted on said rock shaft adapted to displace said clutch into its spool coupling position, an arm secured to said rock shaft having a guide for the material to be Wound arranged to deflect such material in its course from the spool to the Winding point, and a spring acting on said arm in oppositionto the force applied to the arm by said material, the arm andcam being movable by the unopposed force of said spring into the position for causing coupling of the clutch. I

11. In a Winding machine a rotatable Winding apparatus, an independently rota table supply spool, a brake for stopping the rotation of said apparatus, a normally inoperative clutch for coupling the spool tothe Winding apparatus to preventindependent rotation of the spool, and means for causing coupling of said clutch when the Winding apparatus is arrested.

12. In a Winding machine a rotatable rial to be Wound arranged to deflect such material from a straight line in its passage from the spool to the Winding point, a

spring acting on said guide in opposition to the force applied to the guide by said material, said guide being movable against the force of the spring by abnormal increase in the tension of the material, and movable in the opposite direction by the spring With abnormally slackening of the material, and means operable by said guide in its abnormal movement in either direction for coupling the clutch to prevent independent movement 1 of the spool.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HENRY E. BRYANT. 

